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This Week in Washington - December 10, 2018

December 10, 2018

The President and Congress spent last week trying to finish up the work of this Congress and strategizing about the next. Washington and the nation also spent last week paying respects and celebrating the life of President George Herbert Walker Bush.
Jim Miller gives us a progress report on the Lame Duck Session, and then provides his reflections on the funeral of the late President Bush in Miller Time. Jake Ostenso offers his Agency Watch. Steve Gordon ties the week together in Heard on the Hill. Dana Marston shares this week’s legislative calendar, and takes a look at federal and state funding.
Congress is scheduled to be in Washington through December 14th, and there’s every reason to believe that we won’t adjourn until December 21st or 22nd. We’ll aim to circulate our next report on December 14th.

This Week in Washington - November 30, 2018

November 30, 2018

The November 6th off-year election took three weeks, but it has finally effectively ended. The lame duck session is the last few weeks of the 115th Congress – which should adjourn around December 14th. Steve Gordon covers it all in Heard on the Hill. Al Jackson summarizes the status of defense appropriations. Dana Marston shares next week’s legislative calendar, then takes a look at Democrats’ leadership elected for the 116th Congress, analysis of congressmen’s professional backgrounds, and the continuing climb of drug overdose rates.

This Week in Washington - November 16, 2018

November 19, 2018

The Lame Duck session started this week. Jim Miller outlines what will get done in the last days of this Congress in this week’s Miller Time. Larry Smith
updates on trade discussions, and Jake Ostenso provides a regulatory update in his Agency Watch. Dana Marston also looks into the Lame Duck session, and at the makeup of the U.S. House and its Republican leadership in the coming 116th Congress.
Congress is adjourned for Thanksgiving week and will return to Washington on November 27th. Our next edition of This Week in Washington will circulate November 30th.
Best wishes for an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

This Week in Washington - November 9, 2018

November 9, 2018

Steve Gordon was in professional politics for more than 36 years. We asked him to write a summary of the 2018 midterm election based on his experience and his conversations with key objective political observers. We hope you find it interesting.
Congress will reconvene next week for the Lame Duck Session. We’ll have a special summary of what needs to be done and what might get done in next week’s edition of This Week in Washington.

This Week in Washington - October 16, 2018

October 16, 2018

The House of Representatives adjourned October 4th. Majority Leader McConnell vowed to keep the Senate in session until the end of October. But Senator McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer reached an agreement on Thursday night, and the Senate adjourned.
Steve Gordon writes about how this agreement got done. He also points out one of the Senate’s biggest accomplishments during 2017 and 2018, a key fight coming during the lame duck session, and what he has heard on key Senate races – all of that in Heard on the Hill. Jim Miller writes about tax issues that are bound to be debated during the post-election session in Miller Time. Dana Marston dives into logistics of midterm elections, and takes a look at what made it in – and what was left out of - the final opioid relief package passed by the House and Senate.
We’re going to sit back and watch the last few weeks of the campaigns and plan our coverage of the lame duck session. We’ll send out a
special edition if a situation warrants and we will return on November 16th.

This Week in Washington - October 8, 2018

October 8, 2018

We delayed last week’s edition until today so we could cover and sum up Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination process and Jennifer Duffy’s appearance at last Friday’s Arizona Manufacturers Council. Steve Gordon covered them both and talks about the things that should have been noted and talked about in Heard on the Hill. Larry Smith has really good news in this week’s Trade Update. Al Jackson reports on the recently passed 2019 Defense Appropriations bill, and potential changes in the defense space should Democrats gain control of one or both chambers of Congress. Dana Marston brings next week’s abbreviated Senate hearing and meeting schedule and takes a dive into trade – both with our neighbors to the north and south, but also with Japan.
The House is out of session, but the Senate is in and will remain so at least another week or so. Our next issue will circulate a week from today.

Inside Democracy - October 3, 2018: Q&A with Rep. Austin Scott

October 3, 2018

In this edition of Inside Democracy: From the Peach State to the Potomac, we highlight Congressman Austin Scott. Representative Scott represents the Eighth Congressional District of Georgia, which covers the mid-south portion of Georgia. Congressman Scott has offices in Warner Robins and Tifton. He has served in the House of Representatives since 2011 and currently serves on the Agriculture Committee and the Armed Services Committee. We recently asked the Congressman to visit with us and our Inside Democracy readers.

This Week in Washington - September 28, 2018

September 28, 2018

Supreme Court nominations used to be fairly tame events, but those days are gone. We said that if the special Judiciary Committee hearing occurred yesterday it would generate huge ratings in Washington – and the hearing and the ratings didn’t disappoint. Steve Gordon reports on Thursday in Washington and other trends and pending events in Heard on the Hill. Jake Ostenso updates us on his Agency Watch. Dana Marston provides a next week’s Senate calendar, then looks at tariffs’ impacts upon state imports as well as trade with Mexico, last year’s particularly harsh flu season, and one of several appropriations bills.
Next week’s This Week will publish on Monday, October 8th.

This Week in Washington - September 21, 2018

September 21, 2018

It’s fair to say that people in Washington are focused on the Supreme Court nomination, the upcoming election, funding the government, and concern over trade negotiations.
Steve Gordon talks about the Supreme Court confirmation battle from the perspective of politics, the down-to-the-wire work on the Fiscal Year 2019 budget, and trade concerns in Heard on the Hill. Larry Smith goes deeper yet on trade and NAFTA in his Trade Update, though be forewarned – the short-term doesn’t look rosy. Dana Marston takes a look at China’s latest retaliatory tariffs and which states sit best, from a fiscal perspective, should another recession creep up on us.

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